Published on 01/02/2025
The Electoral Commission is updating the voter register using 2014 national census data for the preparations of 2026 elections.
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Justice Simon Byabakama told the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs that the 2024 national census data is not suitable for the ongoing update of the voter register.
“Technically and officially, the data that we have is of 2014. It is therefore, on that basis that we have proceeded to conduct the demarcations of local governments,” Byabakama said.
The Director in charge of Methodology and Statistical Coordination at Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Jame Muwonge explained that the only data available is at district level, saying that some parishes and sub counties are missing data because they have ongoing boundary disputes.
“The issue is where to place this population. We are working with the Ministry of Local Government to make sure we are guided but within five months, this information will be available,” he said.
The Committee met the Electoral Commission (EC), National Information Registration Authority (NIRA) and Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) on Thursday, 30 January 2025, after the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa tasked the committee to scrutinize a statement by the Deputy Attorney General, Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi on the update of the national voters’ register.
Hon. Mathias Mpuuga (NUP, Nyendo-Mukungwe Divison) cast doubt on the reliability of the 2014 national census data, 12 years later.
“That for me is very informing of issues to come. May we know at what stage the Electoral Commission will make use of the recent census data,” he said adding that, ’under the Constitution, the EC is mandated after every census to determine the population quarter for the country and demarcate constituencies and now that we have an exercise, may we be informed when they will demarcate the latest constituencies’.
The Members of Parliament (MPs) further expressed concern over the faulty equipment used in the ongoing update of the voter register saying that this will jeopardise the credibility of the final data.
This was after NIRA’s Executive Director, Rosemary Kisembo told the legislators that the equipment is obsolete, having been procured in 2014.
“This equipment is 11 years old; it is at end of life and end of support. The performance of this equipment is therefore, sub-optimal because of degradation over time,” she said.
West Budama North East County MP, Hon. Fox Odoi-Oywelowo challenged Parliament to appropriate adequate funds to enable the EC deliver a free and fair election.
“I think we engaged in an enterprise of letting down the country. The buck stops with us. It is our responsibility to fund the EC. At what point did we drive them to this desperate situation and turn them into a dumping ground,” he said.
Busiro County East MP, Hon. Medard Sseggona reiterated earlier calls from MPs for the EC to extend the deadline of updating the national voters’ register.
“The Electoral Commission Chairman concedes that they lost some days, in which some challenges were registered. As at the time of writing his response yesterday, they were still addressing those challenges but they can still afford to say they will not extend,” said Sseggona.
Byabakama said that it is still early to make a decision on extension of the exercise.
“We still have 11 days to conclude the exercise and we are still analysing the situation. It is premature to pronounce ourselves on the deadline. We will inform the country when the need arises,” said Byabakama.
The voter register update commenced on 20 January 2025 and is expected to end on 10 February 2025.
